Dyer visits WaveDetails rise of U.S. neocons

"SO I SEZ ‘DYER? I HARDLY EVEN KNOW ‘ER!'" Gwynne Dyer talks international politics in front of an audience at The Wave Tuesday. If you're a neoconservative, you probably didn't applaud.

Journalist, military expert, and syndicated columnist Gwynne Dyer gave a stirring talk at The Wave yesterday afternoon on American foreign policy, and the future of American neoconservativism.

Dyer began his talk by outlining the formation of the neoconservative mindset that first came together under President Ronald Reagan.

‘They were present in the 1980s and they were the hardest of the hardliners against the Soviet Union. They were instrumental in crafting the strategy for the destruction of ‘the Evil Empire,'" Dyer said.

He clarified the United States had no intention of destroying the communist empire or trigger World War III - instead their policy was containment, to prevent further Soviet advancement and expansion.

"Reagan had high ambitions and began to talk about the need to bring down the ‘Evil Empire'… They needed a structure for success without WWIII, which involved raising the American defense budget and forcing the Soviet Union to match it."

The plan was to drive the communists into bankruptcy by increasing military spending. Dyer said after the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 and the collapse of the Soviet Union shortly thereafter, a happy ending was achieved.

"[The neoconservatives] think they did it," Dyer said, adding "They felt it was a combination of military and economic power in addition to democracy and the free market system, which could transform hostile societies on the other side of the planet.

"The Soviet Union fell off its own weight," Dyer added, stating the collapse was more due to the inappropriateness of its doctrine, corruption, and the Russian economy's lack of growth.

"For most of the neoconservatives this was the formative experience of their lives. They believed their strategy brought down the ‘Evil Empire,' and the temptation to use this power to transform the planet is overwhelming."

He explained neoconservatives were gearing up to use their new tool in 1992 but, after Democrat Bill Clinton won the presidency, they established influential think tanks.

"They hardly ever leave Washington. The leading problem of the neocons is they don't get out enough," Dyer said.

It was then the neoconservatives developed the strategy of "Paxamericana," or the benevolent takeover of the planet's security through American military and economic power and persuasion.

"They believed if they were to decide they were responsible for global security, and take down the bad guys, it would be an offer [the world] couldn't refuse," Dyer said.

Iraq was chosen as the first ‘bad guy' on the basis it was the easiest target in 1998, and the plan was established once George W. Bush was in office. Dyer claimed the War on Terror is a guise for Paxamericana. He said Americans began to notice growth in India and China would soon surpass their own, leading to a close military alliance with India and containment of China.

"[The strategy] is to keep China from becoming an economic and strategic rival… their significant weakness is as their economy grows, so does their dependence on imported oil."

The Americans also revived military alliances with neighbouring countries to box in China.

Dyer predicted the neocons only have three more years in power.

"The strategy is to wait for the U.S. public to pull the plug and I can sense public opinion turning now."

EMILY TICKLES THE IVORIES, OR WHATEVER MATERIAL KEYBOARD KEYS ARE MADE OF. Metric's Emily Haines fights the war (and the war will, reportedly, win) in concert. Check out an interview with Metric bassist Josh Winstead on p.5.

After reviewing student retention rates in different programs, Carleton University administrators are evaluating the academic standards required to advance in the school's various programs.

Despite having comparable admissions averages to other Ontario universities, Carleton is below the provincial average for retaining students between their first and second years of university, and its overall graduation rates.

"Recently we have been reviewing our academic progression standards in an attempt to clarify them and make them consistent across the university," said Carleton President David Atkinson.

Approximately 70 per cent of the school's students graduate, as compared to the provincial average of 74 per cent.

In addition, Atkinson said the school is reviewing the discrepancies between the standards needed to remain in certain programs and the averages to which the programs are graded to.

"Some faculty policies state that the average grade across the program should be graded to a ‘C plus,' but then the grade needed to move on from one year to the next is a ‘B minus.' That is a bit of a problem," he said.

In particular, Atkinson said retention rates in the faculty of arts is the school's primary concern.

Although standards vary for entry into Western's professional programs, most departments require students to maintain a 70 per cent average to qualify for an honours specialization module.

"We're not currently facing any particular crisis in student retention rates. We try to recruit the best students in order to ensure they are ready to succeed at school," said Jeff Tennant, chair of Western's French department.

Besides recruitment, Tennant said the school also integrated the automatic probation system a few years ago to allow students another opportunity to succeed.

"There is a small minority of students who, for whatever reason, run into difficulty and have a tough first year. In some instances where there are compassionate circumstances, we waiver progression requirements for their program," he said.

While Tennant said no major changes are planned for the near future, if program requirements were altered, they would need to be approved at a committee level within the department and by an Educational Policy Committee within the faculty. A formal request would then be sent by the Dean's Office to the Senate Committee on Academic Policy and Awards.

SCAPA would then have to examine the merits of the policy change before recommending it to the University Senate, who would ultimately vote on the change.

"We have a pretty efficient system here at Western [compared to some schools]. Conceivably, changes could be made in as short of a time period as three months," Tennant said.

Including both direct-entry and second-entry programs, Western had an overall graduation rate of 76.7 per cent as of July 2005.

Author:Gazette Staff

NEWS

DeCicco de-speakosMayor wants students to live, work in London

The future of the Forest City - as it relates to Western students - was one of many topics covered by London Mayor Anne Marie DeCicco at the 15th annual Lynda Shaw Memorial lecture series on Tuesday at Western.

The mayor discussed her career before entering municipal politics and also talked about plans to establish London as a leader among Canadian municipalities.

"London used to primarily be a financial, educational, and medical centre, but if we're going to continue to expand for the future, we're going to focus on different areas as well," she said.

DeCicco explained a five-point strategy she created to help London achieve its potential. The five points include creating a strong and diversified economy, increasing community vitality, developing a clean and healthy environment, improving London's core infrastructure, and revitalizing the city's culture and heritage.

"We have so many incredible things that are happening here. It amazes me that we have so many things going on here that we have to get the word out about," she said.

DeCicco also discussed the essential role Western graduates possess in the city's future. One of her examples was the vast shortage of London doctors, which has left 20,000 citizens without family physicians.

"We need to have graduates understand the opportunities that exist here in London. We've been trying to get more businesses involved in helping us do that, but we need to know distinctly what will keep [students] here, and then address the issue.

"There is no question in my mind that as we grow as a city, we have nothing to do but go up," she said.

After the lecture, dean of engineering Franco Berruti encouraged DeCicco to establish a task force comprised of students to address graduating students' needs, in an effort to keep them in the city and become part of the city's positive development.

"There are many committees to address graduates' needs, but they are so detached. They don't have a clue as to what recent grads are looking for... we need a group who can best decide what is pertaining to [students,] the direct shareholders," Berruti said.

Dan Polakoff, this year's recipient of the Lynda Diana Shaw Memorial Award, is in his fifth year of a concurrent Ivey and mechanical engineering program.

Polakoff said he was interested in finding out about the business aspect of the municipal politics DeCicco addressed.

"Most of the time you never see where that money comes from. You can spend your entire life planning something, but if you don't even have $5 in your pocket it doesn't make a difference," he said.

The lecture series was founded in memory of Lynda Shaw, a Western mechanical engineering student who was murdered in 1990.

Author:Gazette Staff

Bathrooms become hate havens

"OY VEY, WHAT A DAY!" Rabbi Mordechai Silberberg speaks to fourth-year social science students Alisa Minden and Samantha Kimel at the Israel Day event Tuesday in the UCC atrium.

While homophobia may not seem like an issue at Western, campus graffiti proves otherwise.

Eight students from PrideWestern and Ally Western scoured library cubicles and washrooms last week to take photographs of homophobic graffiti.

"We were specifically looking for homophobic graffiti, but we did come across some based on people's religion and race," said Ally Western co-ordinator Geoff Bardwell.

"The main purpose was to show the Western community homophobia and hate still exists on campus," he said. The photos will be used as part of a poster campaign during Pride Week from March 13-18.

"An interesting thing is all the graffiti was found in the male washroom, not in the female. Homophobia is a problem for both [sexes] but only males feel the need to write on walls," Bardwell said.

Among all the buildings visited, Weldon Library was said to have the most vulgar graffiti.

"Once we got to Weldon, we either stopped taking pictures or recording," he said, noting they documented about 50 examples.

"Western is supposed to be a place for higher learning. It's really scary that people are writing hate-oriented speech on the walls. It certainly doesn't make anyone in hate minority groups feel comfortable," Bardwell said.

The graffiti ranged from using words such as ‘gay' or ‘fag' to attack a certain fraternity to more direct attacks such as "I hate fags."

The students visited washrooms in every campus building, and they plan to check the residences.

PrideWestern co-ordinator Andrzej Kardys pointed out the effect homophobic graffiti can have on some people.

"If someone is to read [the graffiti] who is questioning their identity, seeing things like that makes you question [your sexuality]," he said.

Campus Community Police Services has a Graffiti Eradication Program to address the problem. The program began two years ago after large amounts of graffiti covered campus buildings and signs, said CCPS director Elgin Austen.

Since then, Austen has noticed a decrease in campus graffiti.

"As soon as it comes up, it comes down. There is less than there was a couple years ago. A person putting up graffiti wants to see if people will respond to it… The sooner it comes down, the less of a tendency there is to put it up again," he said.

University Students' Council VP-campus issues Kelly Wilson is also working with Ally Western to increase campus awareness of homophobia.

"It's effective making people aware there is hate on campus. It attunes our mind, and it is something [we're] working on at this campus," Wilson said.

"I think it's a bigger problem than people might assume it is. A lot of things written on cubicles are really hateful. People become laissez-faire and assume it's not a big issue," she said.

The USC hopes to incorporate the homophobic graffiti photos as part of its annual anti-hate vigil on March 21, which also corresponds with the International Day for the Elimination of Racism.

Author:Gazette Staff

Global Rundown

Mudslide Aftermath: Five days after deadly mudslides entombed a Philippine village, rescue workers are focusing on caring for those evacuated from the area.

Over 1,000 people are confirmed missing, but experts say they expect that number to grow. Eighty-five bodies have been removed from the area thus far.

The mudslides are believed to be a result of rainfalls four times heavier than typical February weather.

Deadly Cartoon Protests in Africa: Protests over the caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad resulted in 24 deaths Saturday in Nigeria.

Witnesses report mobs of Muslims are targeting Christians and have killed at least 18. There have also been reports of Christians retaliating by beating Muslims to death and burning down mosques.

U.S. and Mexico to Build Telescope: The United States and Mexico are working together to erect a giant telescope, though some Mexicans are concerned about the American military's connection to the project.

Most of the U.S. funding for the telescope comes from the Department of Defense, though American officials insist the telescope has no military purpose.

Situated on the peak of Mexico's Sierra Nega volcano, astronomers say the telescope will pick up radio waves that are 13 billion years old, providing maps of galaxies that existed shortly after the Big Bang.

Author:Gazette Staff

NEWS BRIEFS

MMMM, FOOD. Students line up for grub at The Spoke's sandwich bar. If you want to read about The Spoke's olden days, check out the ‘Back In The Day' story on p.3. We'll be waiting for you back here on p. 2, eating a sandwich.

Crafty Campus Crook Caught

A thief responsible for stealing students' possessions at Western libraries was captured red-handed late Friday night, after a Western student tipped off police.

A young woman studying in Taylor Library Friday night left her knapsack and some notes at her desk while she took a break, only to find they were gone when she returned an hour later, explained Elgin Austen, director of Campus Police Services.

Fortunately, people around her desk were able to give a description of the person who had been seen around her cubicle.

"We had already arrested someone a few weeks ago who matched that description," he said.

"Officers found the suspect sitting in the lower level," he said, describing the suspect as a 20-year-old female who does not attend Western.

The suspect was also found with stolen identification, which enabled police to return other stolen items at the same time.

Although this thief was caught, Austen said students should still be cautious. "We're certain she is not working alone…We're going to be circulating photos around the libraries if the person shows up," he said.

"[Students should] be more organized and be aware these things can happen. It only takes one person," he said.

Statistics Workshop

If you are a student who uses Statistics Canada research, you may be interested in attending a workshop.

The Research Data Centre is holding a workshop entitled "The Why's and How's of Analyzing Complex Survey Data."

"The RDC is a place where you can get access to confidential StatsCan data for analysis… anybody using this data needs to know how to incorporate it," said Western RDC analyst Brad Corbett. "The workshop explains how to apply weights to different analyses."

In addition, the workshop will focus on practicalities, using examples from StatsCan surveys.

Two presenters, David Binder and Georgia Roberts, from the Data Analysis Resource Centre at StatsCan, will also present.

The workshop will run March 2 from 1-4 p.m. in Social Science Centre Room 9420. Attendance is free, but students must reserve a spot in advance by e-mailing rdc@uwo.ca. Students can also e-mail Corbett at the same address for more information.

- Nancy Gray

Last Day to Vote in USC Elections - Hurry!

Today is your last chance to vote in the University Students' Council elections. Polls close at 8 p.m.

You can vote at www.usc.uwo.ca, and you will need your student number and pin number. Elections began Tuesday night.

Five candidates are vying for the position of USC president: Mike Dewar. Fab Dolan, Micah Giardetti, Chris Gilpin and Dave Sheedy. Along with voting for the USC president, you can vote for your faculty president and councillors.

On the same ballot, there is a referendum being held on the new proposed Western Sport and Recreation Centre. For more information, visit www.voteyeswestern.com and www.votenowestern.com.

Election results will be announced tonight at approximately 9:30 p.m. at The Spoke.

Get Your Tickets

for the Ivey Leadership Conference

A valuable piece of information was inadvertently omitted from yesterday's story about the Crisis Leadership Conference on April 21.

Tickets for the event are on sale now. Student tickets are on sale for $135, regularly $375, and they can be purchased in the Richard Ivey School of Business, Room 1R40. Tickets can be bought from Monday to Thursday between 12 and 2 p.m.

- Ian Denomme

Author:Gazette Staff

The Spoke was smokin' back in '94

As The Gazette approaches its 100th year of publication, we are reprinting some notable stories from the last century. Some show how much Western has changed since 1906, while others show how some things never change.

On today's health-conscious campus, it's hard to fathom that The Spoke was once known as "The Smoke," where you could inhale a lungful of second-hand smoke from the nicotine-head at the next table. Things have changed, but The Spoke Patio still allows smokers everywhere to puff in peace.

Students from several post-secondary institutions appealed to the standing committee on social development, which held public hearings last week, arguing the legislation will kill campus pubs by banning smoking in such locations.

As it stands, the legislation, known officially as Bill 119, would ban smoking in retail stores, laundromats, nurseries, hair salons and schools, including post-secondary institutions.

But, said Selkirk, "The intention of the bill is to restrict smoking in classrooms." The passage banning smoking in universities and colleges will likely be amended when it goes to clause-by-clause review next Monday, she added.

Gord Smiley, Western's assistant VP-student affairs and registrar, said yesterday he's confident the bill will be changed significantly by the time it becomes law.

"It was clear that… there are some things peculiar to university campuses," Smiley said, adding that he thinks any effect the bill has on Western will be in the retail area. The Piccadilly general store in the University Community Centre currently sells cigarettes, and part of Bill 119 dictates that pharmacies or stores offering pharmacy-type services will not be allowed to sell tobacco.

Pic owner Ken Cumberland was unavailable for comment.

Western currently bans smoking in all buildings except The Spoke, The Wave and The Grad Club in Middlesex College.

Ontario's House sits again March 21. Selkirk said the ministry hopes to pass Bill 119 sometime early in the spring session.